Randolph shines in Grizzlies victory

DAZZLING:LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews combined for 51 points against the Nets to help the Portland Trail Blazers win their seventh game in a row

AP, LOS ANGELES

Zach Randolph had 26 points and 15 rebounds against his former team as the Memphis Grizzlies overcame the first-quarter ejection of shooting guard Tony Allen to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 106-102 on Monday in a rematch of their first-round playoff series.

Marc Gasol had 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to help put the Grizzlies (6-5) over .500 for the first time this season. Mike Conley scored eight of his 15 points during a four-minute span in the fourth quarter.

Blake Griffin had 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers. Chris Paul had 18 points and 11 assists for his 11th straight double-double, the most by any player from the start of a season since Magic Johnson in 1990-1991.

Allen was charged with a flagrant-two foul with 1 minute, 51 seconds left in the opening quarter after he lifted his left leg in a vain attempt to impede Paul’s drive to the basket and kicked him in the face. Allen walked over to Paul at the foul line to apologize, while referees Bill Kennedy, Mark Ayotte and John Goble watched the replay at the official scorer’s table to determine the severity of the foul.

Damian Lillard finished with 19 points and nine assists as the Trail Blazers withstood the Nets’ blistering start to win seven in a row in the same season for the first time since a 13-game run in December 2007.

Portland (9-2) is just a half-game behind San Antonio and Indiana for the NBA’s best record. The Blazers will try to complete a perfect 4-0 road trip today at Milwaukee.

Shaun Livingston scored 23 points for the Nets, who stormed out to their best first quarter of the season and then seemed to run out of fuel against the younger Trail Blazers. Kevin Garnett made all six shots in the 40-point first period, then went two-for-13 from there to finish with a season-high 16 points.

BULLS 86, BOBCATS 81

In Chicago, Luol Deng scored 21 points as the Bulls overcame a rough shooting night to record their fifth straight win.

Carlos Boozer had 12 points and 17 rebounds for Chicago, who are on their longest winning streak since taking eight in a row from Feb. 20 to March 7 last year. Jimmy Butler had 14 points and Derrick Rose finished with 12.

Deng’s three-pointer with 27.1 seconds remaining gave the Bulls an 85-81 lead. Gerald Henderson then missed for the Bobcats and Rose had a free throw to help Chicago wrap it up.

Rose, who hit a career-high six three-pointers in the Bulls’ 110-94 win on Saturday over Indiana, went four-for-13 from the field. The Bulls shot 27 of 75 (36 percent) overall.

Jeffery Taylor led Charlotte with a career-high 20 points, while Henderson had 16.

THUNDER 115, NUGGETS 113

In Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant scored 38 points, while Russell Westbrook had 30 points and 12 rebounds as Oklahoma City rallied for the win.

Westbrook also had seven assists in a terrific all-around game that helped Oklahoma City erase a 14-point deficit in the second half. Reggie Jackson added 14 points.

With the score tied at 105, Serge Ibaka pulled down an offensive rebound and found Durant for a three-pointer that put Oklahoma City (7-3) ahead to stay. Jeremy Lamb and Derek Fisher each hit a pair of free throws in the final 14 seconds to help the Thunder hold on.